Giants Welcome and Encourage Emerging Leaders to Step up

With the Giants down to having just two of their five elected captains on the 53-man roster, the team believes it has some emerging leaders already on the team.

Oct 28, 2024; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; New York Giants helmets on the sidelines against the Pittsburgh Steelers during the third quarter at Acrisure Stadium. / Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images

The New York Giants roster needs many things to emerge from the bottom of the league into a perennial powerhouse.

Those needs, for the time being at least, will have to wait until the offseason roster-building process begins, but there is one need that can be addressed right now that, from the outside looking in, some have questioned if the team has enough of.

That would be team leadership in the locker room. Of the five team captains elected by their peers this year–left tackle Andrew Thomas, defensive lineman Dexter Larence, quarterback Daniel Jones, linebacker Bobby Okereke, and long snapper Casey Kreiter–Thomas and now Lawrence are on IR, and Jones is no longer on the roster.

Meanwhile, other past leaders such as running back Saquon Barkley, safety Xavier McKinney, defensive lineman Leonard Williams, and safety Julian Love are thriving with other teams.

Okereke and Kreiter are fine leaders in their own right, but they cannot do it all alone. So, where else can the Giants find the leadership to help them get through the rest of the season?

The answer, according to receiver Darius Slayton and outside linebacker Kayvon Thibodeaux, two leaders in their own right, is right inside the locker room.

“Nobody is ineligible from leading,” Slayton said.“If you’re going to do the right thing and set the right example and encourage guys and bring guys along, then anybody can lead.”

That includes rookies like receiver Malik Nabers, safety Tyler Nubin, and cornerback Dru Phillips, who, while not as experienced as some of their veteran counterparts, are guys who do the right thing and lead by example.  

“Telling guys that you have to wait until after a certain amount of time to be a leader is kind of like, it’s smoke and mirrors because the average is only three years,” said Thibodeaux. 

“I’m a guy that believes this is a meritocracy. So, if you make plays, you have a voice. If you don’t make plays, you don’t have a voice. … So, I would say for young guys coming in, continue to make plays first, and then be an impact in leadership.”

The challenge is that some of the younger players, out of respect for their veteran teammates, tend to keep their opinions to themselves out of fear of ruffling feathers. 

But inside linebacker Micah McFadden, who has also developed into a leader thanks to his play, believes those players are part of the team and, if they’re pulling their weight, they deserve to be heard.    

“The more you produce, the bigger your voice is. Guys listen to the leaders and the people who are leading from the front, doing their job, and executing at a high level,” he said. 

The Giants are looking to snap a seven-game losing streak and get their first win at home this weekend against the New Orleans Saints.

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